ISO-Free Urethane Technology Lengthens Pot Life, Shortens Cure Time
Industrial coatings that offer faster finishes are in demand as end users seek to improve productivity and/or accelerate return-to-service time. When formulating two-component (2K) polyurethanes, however, speed has been stymied by an ongoing trade-off between pot life and drying time. Slowing the reaction between the base resin (Part A) and the isocyanate crosslinker (Part B) provides a much-needed extension of pot life; it also results in longer drying times. PARALOIDâ„¢ Edge ISO-free* technology (*manufactured without isocyanate) developed by Dow Coating Materials, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, utilizes an alternate urethane crosslinking system that decouples pot life from ambient cure time, allowing formulators to optimize both properties.
Speed is a competitive advantage across the industrial coatings space. Optimizing cycle time improves daily output, reduces labor cost and increases customer satisfaction. In automotive refinishing, the need for speed is magnified by a rebounding economy that has put more new cars on the road1 and industry consolidation that has left fewer body shops in operation.2 While many factors affect cycle time in automotive refinishing, a universal opportunity for improvement lies in accelerating the dry speed of polyurethane coatings.